Holy Matrimonial
by Tsuki Kakumei
Summary: Even if they weren't able to be legally married, they'll always be bound together through their hearts and souls.


**Disclaimer: Yadda, yadda, ToS isn't mine.**

A/N: I was in a oneshot mood and I finally had the chance to sit down and write this! Halfway through I was listening to Fairy Tail's - Fairy's Glitter Ost - Extended, it's an amazing piece of music and definitely fits the mood about a third of the way down. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

* * *

"It started raining and by the time I woke up, I realized I'd locked the door by accident and my brother had been pounding on it to let him in. He was so mad that I thought for sure he'd toss me out and lock the door in _my_ face!" The man laughed and tinkling bell-like laughter followed in his wake.

A cool sea breeze drifted across the city of Sybak in the late afternoon, tussling stray strands of light caramel hair from the owner's loose ponytail. The man watched as she tucked a lock of glossy hair behind her ear to no avail as the teasing wind kept tossing it from its hold. She tried to keep it in place a few more times before giving up altogether, the wind having its way with the loose strands as she lightly chuckled. She closed her eyes and tipped her face up soaking in the warm afternoon sun. The man was instantly captivated by the small smile curving the corners of her mouth. His eyes gently roved over her happy countenance. Ever since he first laid eyes upon this woman he knew it was love at first sight as he daydreamed about their future together. An inaudible sigh of content left him.

"Would-" Before he even had the chance to ask her out for dinner a new voice interrupted him.

"Anna? Are you ready to go?"

The woman named 'Anna' lazily opened her chocolate orbs and addressed the newcomer, "I'm ready, Kratos." She got up off the bench dusting the back of her dress off and turned to her still seated companion, "Thank you for keeping me company for the past hour. It was a pleasure talking with you."

"Uh, um, yeah." He stammered. In the back of his mind he heard the sound of his future plans breaking to pieces as he watched the woman of his dreams walk off with the taller auburn haired man.

Anna loosely linked her arms with Kratos as they mindlessly strolled through the city. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

The male besides her shook his head in the negative, "No. The library here may be vast, but it doesn't hold the information I need. The only place that might help is the village of Heimdall."

"But didn't you say that's where full-blooded elves live?"

"Yes, unfortunately they are… wary of humans. I doubt we'd be able to look at their scripts let alone enter the village."

Anna squeezed his bicep in reassurance and led him towards a stall selling spiced meats. It was never good to ponder things too deeply on an empty stomach. Hers faintly growled as she brushed the slight bump of her midriff.

The sky was turning into a myriad of pinks and purples as the sun slowly faded into the background. The pair had spent the rest of the day taking a break from their research and did absolutely nothing except bask in each other's company. They were heading in the direction of the inn when something in the corner of Anna's eyes caught her attention. Noticing that Anna was no longer at his side, Kratos stopped walking and divested his attention at her. His brows furrowed in confusion as he wondered what her gaze was riveted on. He followed her line of sight and his russet eyes softened.

A man and woman stood face-to-face holding each other's hands as the priest between them recited the beginnings of their wedding ceremony. Anna's chocolate orbs stared unblinkingly at the devoted couple as she took in the clean pressed suit of the groom and the pure white dress of the bride. She sighed wistfully. There were some things in life that she could never obtain, but then again she never thought that she'd be given this opportunity either as her calloused hands from years of manual labor, and now from swordsmanship, tenderly laid against the bump housing the babe in her womb, her expression melted to one of nostalgia of when she discovered the tidbit of news.

"_Kratos, I have something to tell you." She said as soon as she stepped into their room._

_Alarmed at how serious she was, his eyes deepened in concern and he instantly set down the book he'd been reading while waiting for her to come back. "Anna, what's wrong? What did the doctor say?"_

_Anna mulled over her thoughts trying to find the best way to tell him while Kratos anxiously stood in silence. Chaotic thoughts of her health taking a turn for the worse wracked his mind as he tried not to fidget with nervous energy. Why was she taking so long to tell him the horrific news? He was about to tug her towards him for comfort when Anna locked her gaze onto his. There was no grim devastation hidden in those pools of brown, but a lively glitter instead._

_Deciding that the only way to tell him was the direct path, Anna finally spoke, "I'm pregnant. Two months in fact," she added almost in afterthought._

_The lone visible russet eye widened to near comical proportions. "What? I-how-?" Kratos was stunned to silence as he limply sat back into his chair. Anna walked towards her bewildered beau and stood in front of him. Her head cocked to the side as she studied his shocked profile, her eyes crinkling at the corners and she pursed her lips to keep the glee from spilling forth._

"_How? Really, Kratos, for as long as you've lived I thought for sure you'd know how basic human biology worked. Well don't worry; I'll explain it to you! You see when a man and a woman join together in an act called inter-"_

"_I know how procreation works," he interrupted with a cough and a light pink lined his cheeks. A rare sight to behold, "What I meant was I didn't think I _had _the ability to create children. Not anymore." Chocolate orbs softened as her gales of mirth died down to a quiet understanding. Kratos tentatively laid his palm on Anna's still flat midsection, wonder and trepidation filling his being. "A child will add an additional risk to our already complicated journey. You already know this don't you."_

"_Shhh, shhh," Anna hushed. She gently cradled his head to her stomach and ran her fingers through the spiky strands of auburn, an action that was known to sooth many a people including lone mercenaries, "We don't know what the future will bring so let's just live in the moments that are already here, and right now we're celebrating the start of a new life."_

_Kratos slowly nodded his head against her as they savored the moment._

_He can be so cute,_ she thought fondly. An arm snaked around her middle and rested on top of her hands. Her tense posture relaxed at the familiar feel of Kratos at her back and leaned against him, her attention going back to the wedding.

The priest's voice drifted over to them at a respectable distance. His voice could faintly be heard, but with Kratos' enhanced hearing, he heard every word as if he were standing right next to the priest. His left hand fiddled with something in his pants pocket before resolutely making up his mind and pulling the object out. He grasped Anna's left hand with his right, lifting it in front of her.

Her attention broke away from the couple and over her shoulder confused by his actions.

"Will the groom please repeat after me…?"

Anna's eyes widened as comprehension dawned upon her.

Kratos' voice overlapped the groom's as he spoke his vows, "I, Kratos, take you Anna, to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. What may come I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, I give you my life to keep so help me Martel." A simple gold ring slowly adorned her finger. Specks of golden light glinted off of the polished surface.

"Will the bride please repeat after me…?"

Tears welled her eyes and she swallowed past the lump in her throat to whisper her vows, "I, Anna, take you Kratos, to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. What may come I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, I give you my life to keep so help me Martel." She shakily took the proffered item from his hand and slid the matching gold ring onto his respective finger, linking their left hands together.

Their eyes never left each others.

"Martel, bless these hands that you see before you this day. May they always be held by one another. Give them the strength to hold on during the storms of stress and the dark of disillusionment. Keep them tender and gentle as they nurture each other in their wondrous love. Help these hands to continue building a relationship founded in your grace, rich in caring, and devoted in reaching for your perfection. We ask this in your name, Amen.

By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Kratos leaned down as she leaned up to meet him. The moment her eyes closed the tears she stubbornly held at bay were finally released, trickling down her cheeks in pent up emotion. Their lips pressed together in a slow languid kiss. The world stopped and nothing else existed except for the two (almost three) of them. A light smattering of applause and cheers from other onlookers broke the spell and time resumed again. They broke apart and she leaned her head against his shoulder as he kissed the crown of her hair and laid his cheek on top all the while holding her close.

"I apologize, Anna, for not making this official." His low voice laced with regret rumbled next to her ear, "If our circumstances were different then-"

Anna turned in his arms shaking her head and delicately pressed her fingers to his lips, "Please don't apologize. This is more than I could ever possibly hope for. Thank you, thank you so much," she whispered along his lips and sealed them together for another kiss.

A child and a "marriage", two things that she never thought would become a reality for wanted fugitives like them, but here they were now, "married" and expecting a baby. Their perilous journey became a whole lot more challenging, but whatever that may come whether it be Cruxis, the Desians, or Mithos himself, nothing can stop them from realizing their dreams in the present.

And _that_ is more than enough.


End file.
